How Much Does It Cost to Move an Apartment?

“$550 to $8300? Why such a huge window?” Don’t worry. The team at iMoving has matched out prices for thousands of moves across the country, of all shapes and sizes.

In this article, we’ll show you how much you can expect to spend, and you’ll learn what goes into the price of your big move.

Moving an apartment can cost from $550 to $8300, but that’s a big ballpark. Your final price depends on a few important factors, notably how much you’ll be transporting and how far everything has to travel.

In the world of moving, there are two main types you’ll encounter: Long-distance moves and local moves. Long distance movers and local movers all have their own playbooks, including where they can operate, how far they can go, and how they’ll bill their customers.

Whether it’s across town or across the country, it can be tough to find the right moving company. Fortunately, iMoving makes it easier than ever. We’ve got over 1,000 vetted and verified movers in our network, and you can shop, compare prices, and book without leaving the comfort of your web browser.

But enough about us. Let’s take our first stop on our pricing adventure. Read on, and see how much it’ll cost to move local.

When you’re working with the pros, there’s plenty of helpful add-ons you can throw in to make your apartment move a little easier. There’s also a few fees to keep in mind.

1. Packing Services

Packing is one of the most annoying and time-consuming parts of a relocation. If you really want to save some cash, you can do it yourself.

But if you really want to save your sanity, you’ll shell out a little extra for packing services, instead. Your apartment movers can handle every box, bedroom, and packing peanut.

2. Storage

Look, we’re not gonna judge you if you need a storage unit when you’re just moving apartments. Some people end up with a lot more stuff than they can fit into a studio or a one-bedroom.

Besides, storage units can actually give you a lot of extra flexibility if you don’t want to rush through your unloading and unpacking.

3. Car Transport

If you’re not up for an impromptu road trip, you can pay a little extra for car transport as well. This is especially useful if you have more than one car, since (unless you know someone you really trust) odds are you can’t get your whole stable transported in one trip. Car transporters also offer covered trailers for those high-end exotics.

4. Access Fees

Does your apartment building have elevators, extra flights of stairs, or extra-long hallways? Next time you head out for groceries, work, or whatever, take mental notes of all the steps you have to take to get out of your apartment and onto the street.

These steps are all going to be obstacles for your movers, and they’ll charge you accordingly. Communicate with your apartment movers ahead of time - it may not save you money, but it’ll save you the surprise.

5. Shuttle Fees

When you’re moving your apartment, your movers will most likely use one of those big ol’ semi trucks to haul everything. Unfortunately, most cities don’t like big ol’ semi trucks parking on their teeny tiny little streets.

In these cases, your movers will park the big rig at a staging area, and use a smaller shuttle truck to carry all your belongings from the main truck to your new place. It’s not cheap, it’s not convenient, but it’s out of your hands. Blame city council.

6. Insurance

It’s rare, but it happens. If anything gets damaged or lost in transport, it’s nice to have a safety net. Movers offer basic coverage, but it’s only good for $0.60 per pound.

If you want to be reimbursed the full value of your items, you’ll have to pay extra for full coverage insurance. Call up your renters insurance provider, because there’s a chance your move is already covered!

7. Tips and Gratuity

Moving is tough work. This isn’t turning an iPad around at a cafe; it’s heavy lifting, lots of packing, and long-haul trucking. Set aside a gratuity to be split up across your whole moving team. 15% to 20% is a good figure.

The cheapest way to move is to rent a truck and DIY the whole thing. But is it the most COST-EFFECTIVE way to move? That’s a different story.

On paper, a complete DIY job looks like it’ll cost less. But when you factor in the price of a truck rental, the price of gas, and the price of food and lodging, the math looks a little different. And if you have to take time off from work to move your apartment? Then you’ll be skipping out on some much-needed paychecks, too.

A DIY move can be fun. You can call it a road trip, make some stops along the way, and take in all the sights between point A and point B. But don’t call it cheaper, unless you’re seriously okay with skipping meals, sleeping in the truck, and somehow working while you drive.

Pro-tip: If you’re looking for a cost-effective middle ground between DIY and full-service movers, check out moving containers. They’re like portable storage units you can load yourself - and when you’re ready to move, the container company will pick up the unit, and take it to your destination. 

We’re all about convenience, but that doesn’t mean you have to break the bank on a moving day. If you want to move right, here are some of our favorite tips and tricks for saving money and making life a little easier:

• Downsize: We’ve said it before, and it warrants saying again. If you don’t want it, don’t take it with you - and definitely don’t pay to have it moved! Old couch? Panini press? Sell it off, donate it, just don’t have it when you’re shopping for moving quotes.

• DIY your packing: Bust out the bubble wrap, beg your local bookstore for some boxes, and pack it yourself. This is another great way to save money, but keep in mind, that you may not be able to qualify for full coverage insurance if you do your own packing.

• Avoid peak moving season: Any time the kids are out of school, moving is going to be more expensive. Forget about summer. You didn’t want to move in the heat, anyway. Plan for a mid-month, mid-week move, far away from any major holidays.

• Book early: Speaking of scheduling, try to get an early jump on booking. Try to reserve your apartment movers 2 to 3 months in advance. This will give you a better pick of moving dates, and you can nab some sweet discounts, too.

• Pack an essentials bag: At iMoving, we’re big proponents of the essentials bag. Get a backpack or suitcase, and pack it with your must-haves like you’re going on a vacation. You don’t want to search through boxes for a toothbrush or clean underwear.

• Set aside a staging area: If you’re moving local, time is of the essence. Make it faster by putting all your boxes in a single bedroom or corner. This way, your movers don’t have to traipse all over the apartment to round up your belongings.

You’ve made it to the end! Thanks for sticking with us. Hopefully, by now you have a better idea of how much you should save up before your big move - and hopefully, you’ve learned a thing or two about how to make your move cheaper, easier, and more efficient.

Speaking of making your move easy, have you thought about who’ll be doing the heavy lifting? 

There are a lot of moving companies out there, but iMoving is the best place to find them. Our marketplace has over 1000 apartment movers, and they’re all vetted and verified by our research department. You can shop, compare prices, and book your movers without leaving your laptop or phone. Just tell us more about your move, and let’s get you packed up!